A Chinese couple whose sons drowned in a quarry pit are keeping the boys' bodies in a deep freeze until officials explain why they hadn't filled it in.

The site was excavated to make way for a new road two years ago.

But it was left derelict and now, partially filled with water, it has become a magnet for local children.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

Deep freeze: The bodies of Chung, three, and five-year-old Hu, who drowned in a quarry, are being kept in a fridge until their parents receive compensation from the council, which failed to fill in the site in Loudi, China

Playing: The boys had been throwing stones in the water when Chung (right) fell and Hu (left) tried to save him

Despite their parents' warnings, three-year-old Chung and his brother Hu, five, went to throw stones at the site in the Chinese city of Loudi, Hunan province, with two older friends last week, and fell in.